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תקנות פון בלאג: יעדער קען שרייבען תגובות, אבער נישט קיין ניבול פה, באליידיגען אדער סטראשענען, ווער עס וועט נישט איינהאלטען די תקנות וועט מען חוסם זיין..Rules of the Blog: Everybody is welcome to write comments, however no vulgar language, insults or threats will be tolerated, you will be banned immediatelyDo NOT keep changing your Nick when writing comments, I can recognize you and will ban youIf you are aware of any molestation in the Jewish community, please report it to the proper authorities, and then please send us an emil with as many details as possible, so we can follow up and warn the TziburThis Blog is here for a purpose - to fight pedophilia and znus, not for snide remarks, filthy comments or threats

1/01/2013

Religious leaders are held to higher standards,
must be completely and permanently removed from religious positions based on
sexual abuse rumors

Rabbi Levi Brackman

Multiple women have accused an extremely prominent London haredi
rabbi, Chaim Halpern, of sexually abusing them during their marriage counseling
sessions with him.

A number of rabbinic judges in London had the courage to
investigate the claims and subsequently found Halpern unfit to serve in any
religious capacity. In response, Halpern stepped down from many of his
religious positions.

Yet the saga continues because Halpern still maintains his position
as a rabbi in his own community. In addition his father, another prominent and
venerable rabbi, Chanoch Halpern, together with numerous other rabbis, have
dismissed the allegations and maintain that Chaim Halpern is a righteous man
who has been caught up in a conspiracy.

The proverb says that “there is no man on the earth who is
(completely) righteous, who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We
are all human and, thus, none of us are perfect. Yet the abuses allegedly
committed by Halpern are in a different league – they are especially heinous.

There is the famous story, found in the Book of Samuel, where sons
of Eli the High Priest used their priestly positions to gain sexual favors from
women who came to the Temple to offer sacrifices. The venerable Eli the High
Priest confronted his sons telling them, “No, my sons, for the rumor which I
hear the Lord's people spreading is not good.”

Eli the High Priest did not need hard evidence in order to confront
his sons. He relied upon and believed the rumors that were spreading. Eli then
tried to convince his sons to repent. But, they didn’t listen to their father,
nor does it say that they admitted their sins. The surprise, however, is the
last part of this narrative, which explains that the sons of Eli would not
repent because God wanted to kill them (Samuel 1, Chapter 2:22-25).

This is taken to mean that God hardened their heart to repentances
and they were therefore killed. All the commentators are puzzled. Did God
really want them to die as sinners rather than remaining alive and returning to
a path of righteousness?

Making a mockery out of God

The answer is clear: There are some sins one cannot be
rehabilitated from. One who abuses one's religious office in order to gain
sexual favors cannot repent and then continue to serve. Such people need to be
permanently and completely removed from ever serving in a religious capacity.
In corrupting their positions as spiritual leaders they are in essence making a
mockery out of God.

In terms of the sins allegedly committed, the case of Halpern is
not dissimilar to that of the sons of Eli the High Priest. In how it was dealt
with, however, the two cases differ considerably. In the Book of Samuel, Eli
took the rumors seriously and confronted his sons. In the case of Halpern, his
father, the venerable Chanoch Halpern, has dismissed the allegations and
insists that his son is a Tzadik (righteous).

With regard to the sons of Eli, the entire Jewish community was
united in their outrage. With Halpern, there are multiple religious leaders in
the London Jewish community who have signed a letter defending him and his
continued right to serve in a religious capacity.

The story of the sons of Eli teaches us that religious leaders are
held to higher standards and must be completely and permanently removed from
their religious positions based on rumors of sexual abuse alone.

It is clear that the allegations against Halpern are more than
rumors, even if they have not been proven in a court of law. The fact that
Halpern is still serving as a rabbi, and that his father and other rabbis are
still defending him, is not only a disgrace to the community, it is a disgrace
to the Torah and a huge desecration of God’s name.

Rabbi Levi Brackman is co-founder and executive director of Youth Directions , a
non-profit organization that helps youth find and succeed at their unique
positive purpose in life